The Frolic Flame
by Cherished Tenshi
Summary: Wishing-Fire's Destiny Challenge. Lea was stupid, reckless, rash, carefree, immature... At least, according to everyone who knew him. Inside his heart, however, was a completely different story. 10 important moments in his short life.
1. Their First Love

**A/N: Joys. I've taken on **_**Wishing-Fire's 10 Destiny Challenge**_**, because I promised myself that I would do **_**all **_**of his/her Challenges someday. Wonderful. ;)**

**So, the star for this one is adorable Lea! Not as cute as Ven, but still pretty cute. *Hugs* :D**

**So, here goes!**

**XxXxXxXxXx**

**I. Their First Love**

"_Do you believe in fairy tales?"_

Lea had always been enchanted by the fairy tales that his father would always tell him about. Tales about knights in shining armour that came to the rescue of beautiful maidens trapped in towers. He would cheer when the hero got the prize, and boo whenever the villain did something... Well, _villainy._

He would always ask his dad to repeat the stories, but he would always ruffle his hair and say that he needed to rest, as the monsters would come out if he didn't fall asleep before midnight. Being the young and innocent child that he was, he immediately fell asleep without any further words.

Now through, his love had moved onto other things such as sword fighting, playing pranks and above all, the attractive girls that walked in the streets of Radiant Garden.

He still had a soft spot for fairy tales, however. When Isa dragged him into the bookshop to get a book that he needed/wanted for school, Lea always wandered off to the fairy tales section, and would always browse through the many books. They still had the colourful front pages, the beautiful maidens and the daring knights.

His first love would always be fairy tales.

**XxXxXxXxXx**

**A/N: I actually kept to the word limit of something! *Gasps***

**The words in italics don't count. :)**

**Please review! ^_^ Even if it is short!**


	2. Their First Steps

**A/N: I'm glad to see that this has got a positive response so far! Thank you to **_**Fille des Reves, AkuEri,**__**MonMonCandie **_**and **_**Quinhwyvar **_**for reviewing!**

**Thank you to **_**Jcthegirl, AkuEri **_**and **_**Quinhwyvar **_**for adding this to their alerts! :D**

**This story will be updated every ****two**** days. It was originally going to be once a week, but I wanted to finish this before I return to school.**

**Ignoring my ramblings, hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do **_**not **_**own any characters in this story. They all belong to Square Enix and Walt Disney. However, I do own the plot.**

***T*H*E*F*R*O*L*I*C*F*L*A*M*E***

**II. Their First Steps**

"_Everyone takes their first steps, sooner or later in life."_

"I can't believe that we're actually doing this," Lea muttered, disbelief clear in his shaky voice. Isa turned his head around and put a finger on his lips.

"_Shush_! We have to wait until the guards change shifts. Then we can sneak in through there," the older boy pointed up to a window that was open, creaking gently. A rusty pipe lead up to it, and that was the way that the two were planning to sneak inside.

Suddenly, two figures in black turned and marched inside past the large doors that were creaking open. Isa leapt onto the pipe and began to climb up it quickly. Lea glanced over to the gardens before giving chase.

Once they had made it over to the window sill, they pushed their bodies against the narrow footway that hung off the castle. Isa peeked inside the window, and jumped into the huge room, signalling for Lea to follow. The boy tiptoed his way over, and they both made it inside. Collapsing onto the floor, they stared up at the ceiling, recovering their breath.

"We... Did it..." Lea whispered. Isa nodded and looked over to him.

"Yeah. Our first steps towards finding the truth."

***T*H*E*F*R*O*L*I*C*F*L*A*M*E***

**A/N: The first draft of this was 347 words long! 0_O**

**The second was 252 words.**

**And the third one was 200 words! ;)**

**Anyway, please review! ^_^**


	3. The Person They Hate

**A/N: Thank you to **_**AkuEri, Fille des Reves, prince of flames **_**and **_**MonMonCandie **_**for reviewing! :D**

**Thank you to **_**prince of fames **_**for adding this to his alerts! :)**

**I just watched the Zero Point boss battle... Not the ending since YouTube + My phone= Ka-Boom! Hands up if you think that the Hunter of the Dark Heartless and Music is **_**amazing! **_**:D I know I do! ;)**

**I was half tempted to do Lea's Maths teacher, but this needs to be serious. ;D**

**Got to stop rambling so much... Hope you enjoy! ^_^**

***T*H*E*F*R*O*L*I*C*F*L*A*M*E***

**III. The Person They Hate**

"_Everyone will be hated by someone; some are just more hated than others."_

Lea, without a shadow of a doubt, hated Xehanort. That new apprentice that Ansem the Wise and the others had found, unconscious and with amnesia in the centre of the city. Just hearing his _name _sent a shiver through the redhead's body, and his appearance wasn't much better. His amber eyes screamed hatred about them, and his sneer towards everyone made his blood boil.

He was also the reason that he and Isa were fighting a lot more lately. He was growing much more snapper and got angry far more easily than he did before. Once, his anger was only a joke; something to wind his friend up with. Now, it was real.

Once, he had hit him. Kicked him in the shin and left him limping for a week afterwards. Lea told his parents that he had ran into a tree, but the giant foot mark on it told a different story.

It scared him. It really did. To see his best friend turn into a _monster_, it was horrible. He _had _to fix it, _somehow_. Yet, deep inside, he knew that Isa had chosen his own fate, and that he couldn't do anything to prevent it.

***T*H*E*F*R*O*L*I*C*F*L*A*M*E***

**A/N: 2 words under! ...But writing so serious is **_**not **_**my style... :(**

**Anyway, please review! ^_^**


	4. Finding Themselves

**A/N: Thank you to **_**Clockwork-Ceni, AkuEri, MonMonCandie, Fille des Reves **_**and **_**Starry Requiem **_**for reviewing the last chapters! :D**

**Thank you **_**Clockwork-Ceni **_**and **_**WhiteFoxNinja **_**for adding this to their alerts and favourites! ;)**

**Guess what anime I started to watch again? No, not Naruto. Flipping **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! **_**I promised myself to never watch it again! :( *Angry face***

**But gawd, do Seto and Joey look good... **_**Ahem! **_***Shot* C:**

**Anyway, hope you enjoy! ^_^**

***T*H*E*F*R*O*L*I*C*F*L*A*M*E***

**IV. Finding Themselves**

"_If you play with fire, you'll get burnt."_

"And you complain at _me _for having an obsession," Isa chuckled, as he walked over to his best friend. He was busy studying the flames that were roaring in the fireplace of his home. A cold hand on his shoulder snapped him out of his trance. He stared at his friend.

"Is something wrong?" Lea asked, returning his eyes to the warmth. Isa sighed, and shook his head.

"Well... You always tease me for having an obsession with the _moon_, right?" he asked, crossing his arms. Lea quirked an eyebrow at the strange question.

"_Yes_..?" He replied uncertainly, dragging the word out. Isa smirked.

"I can say the same thing for you and _fire_. Your hair definitely _resembles_ it," he stated, pulling at one of the redhead's many strands of hair. The boy narrowed his eyes and pushed his friend off, before turning his attention to the now-flickering embers. Occasionally, a small harmless ember would escape the fireplace and land on his lap.

"Well, it's just so... _Fascinating, _you know? Like, it can hurt a lot of people, but at the same time... It helps them too. Get it memorized," he teased, receiving a gentle shove.

"Ignoring that... You want ice cream?"

"You _bet!_"

***T*H*E*F*R*O*L*I*C*F*L*A*M*E***

**A/N: Don't kill me over the four extra words! *Hides*:)**

**Please review! ^_^**


	5. Experiencing Heartbreak

**A/N: Thank you to **_**MonMonCandie, AkuEri, Fille des Reves **_**and **_**Quinhwyvar **_**for reviewing! :D**

**So, um... This story is under 'Tragedy' for a reason, darlings! This will most likely be sad, so beware! Mainly because the author listened to **_**Xion's Theme **_**while writing this, but still...**

**I am also trying (and failing) to write an AkuShion one-shot for tomorrow! Boo... :(**

**Anyway, hope you enjoy! :)**

***T*H*E*F*R*O*L*I*C*F*L*A*M*E**

**V. Experiencing Heartbreak for the First Time**

"_Treat every day like it is your last."_

Lea walked along the short path that led to his house, red school bag slung over his arm, "I can't believe the amount of... _What's that?_"

He stopped his thinking as he spotted two familiar men outside his home, weapons crossed over the doors. He walked up to them, and dropped his bag on the grass.

"No citizens are allowed past this point," Aeleus explained, continuing to look down at the redhead. His eyes widened in surprise, and he suddenly ran forward.

"But my _parents_ are in there!" He shouted, as Dilan grabbed his jacket with one hand easily. Lea began to struggle in his grip, as the man narrowed blue eyes.

"Let me _go! _I _have_ to see them! Let me _go!_" He wailed, but stopped upon the sight of a man walking up the path. Dilan immediately lowered the boy down, and they both saluted.

"Ansem the Wise sir!"

"Are you Lea?" Ansem asked, bending down. The boy nodded his head.

"Where's my parents?" He demanded, voice breaking in fear as tears threatening to break free from his eyes. They couldn't... They couldn't be...

"The monsters invaded Radiant Garden again... I'm afraid that your parents didn't make it."

***T*H*E*F*R*O*L*I*C*F*L*A*M*E**

**A/N: Lea would know the guards from all of the times that he and Isa have tried to sneak into the castle... ;)**

**Why is Ansem there? Well, he's there because he can be there, that's why. :)**

**Oh God, I hate this one. Blame **_**Infamousplot **_**for the idea of Lea being an orphan! :(**

**Please review! ^_^**


	6. The Person They Shouldn't Be With

**A/N: Thank you so much to **_**Jcthegirl, Xainagal, Fille des Reves, the light before the darkness, Quinhwyvar, AkuEri **_**and **_**MonMonCandie **_**for reviewing! It means a lot! :D**

**So, this may seem a little rushed, since I had half an hour to write this due to going up town with some friends! Sorry! *Ducks angry mob***

**And I've ran out of sassy things to put underneath the titles! :O**

**Hope you still enjoy! :)**

***T*H*E*F*R*O*L*I*C*F*L*A*M*E***

**VI. The Person They Shouldn't Be With**

"This goes here, and..." Lea sighed as he buried his head in his hands, pulling at his hair as Even rambled on. Ever since his parents had been killed by the Heartless, he had been 'adopted' of sorts by Ansem the Wise, and was now living in the castle.

His heart was still numb from the news, he still felt extremely horrible, and he was refusing to eat any food or drinks that he was given. The news that his parents were... _Gone_ still refused to sink in. It nagged away at him, and his only tie to the sane world; Isa, was slowly slipping away from him.

A single tear escaped from his eye and slide down his face, before dropping onto the ground. A wet splotch mark was clearly seen, and another tear quickly followed the last one.

He shouldn't be with Even, or Braig, or anyone else in the castle. He should be with his family and Isa, only worrying about the math homework that he would have been given.

No... _No..._

"Are you paying attention, young boy?" The harsh voice demanded. Lea gasped and looked up at the man.

"..." He didn't want to talk anymore.

***T*H*E*F*R*O*L*I*C*F*L*A*M*E***

**A/N: I feel terrible making Lea an orphan! :(**

**And now we all know why Axel is so skinny. ;)**

**Anyway, please review! ^_^**


	7. The Person Who Loves Them

**A/N: Thank you a lot to **_**Xainagal, MonMonCandie, AkuEri **_**and **_**prince of flames **_**for reviewing! ;)**

**So, I wasn't sure about who to do for this, so I went back in time! XD**

**Also, I am away at camp (again!) for three days starting tomorrow. So there will be no updates from me until I return! :(**

**Hope you enjoy! :D**

**VII. The Person Who Loves Them**

"You're _romantic _lately," Isa teased in a sing-song voice as Lea stared at a dandelion in his hands. He dropped the flower and turned to the male in surprise.

"Why's that_?_" He leaned back on the platform of one of the high towers that overlooked Radiant Garden, frowning himself as a crow flew past.

"Well... You keep vanishing at nightfall andI spotted you with a set of _lights_ once. Care to expand on that?" His best friend asked, turning to the redhead. He winced at the words, as he realized that he had been discovered.

"Well... To cut a long story short..." He stood up and grabbed a small grey controller that had been hiding in the nearby bushes. Flickering it on, a collection of lights loosely decorated over trees lit up, and Isa sat up in amazement, mouth open at the colours. A smile came onto his face, and he turned to his friend.

"Lea, I..." He trailed off, gasping as another set of lights came on. The blue lights flickered playfully as the stars twinkled overhead, giving off beautiful rays of aqua and white.

It had taken Lea months to prepare, but seeing Isa _truly _smile for goodness knows how long made it all worthwhile.

***T*H*E*F*R*O*L*I*C*F*L*A*M*E***

**A/N: Isa likes moon. Moon is like lights. Lights plus moon equals happy Isa! :D And Isa was going through his, ahem, '**_**hormones' **_**stage of puberty. ;)**

**A bit of fluff to make up for the last two angst/tragedy chapters, and Isa was going to say that he loves Lea. In the **_**friendly **_**way, you dirty minded people! :)**

**Hope you enjoyed it, and please review! ^_^**


	8. The Best Friend

**A/N: Thank you to **_**Quinhwyvar, Kiryn, Xainagal, MonMonCandie, AkuEri **_**and **_**Fille des Reves **_**for reviewing! :D And thanks to **_**KisalaXIV **_**for all of the Favourites!**

**I got Xenoblade Chronicles today! And oh my God, it is **_**amazing! **_**A main character dies in the first hour, and it's just amazing! :D No offense to all of the Americans who can't get it. ;)**

**Anyways, hope you enjoy! :)**

***T*H*E*F*R*O*L*I*C*F*L*A*M*E***

**VIII. The Best Friend**

"_Best friends can be inseparable, even when they're apart."_

"How did you..." Lea frowned at the older boy lying on his carpet. The trials to get him there were _loud _to say the least.

"It's called being _sneaky,_ Lea. Something that you are _not _good at," Isa replied, yawning loudly as he stretched his arms out. Lea bent down and lied beside him with a loud thud, still looking at his friend with disbelief.

"How long did you take to get in here, _show off?"_ The two laughed at each other, before Isa shook his head and allowed his glance to travel around the room, taking in the furniture.

"You have a _lot _of items... Anyway, it required half an hour more than needed, since you continued to ignore my obvious banging."

"Oh zip it!" Lea playfully shoved the boy, and they both laughed genuine laughter for the first time in months, even if it was only for a few moments.

A knock on the door interrupted their laughter. The two shared looks of horror before Lea quickly shoved the other boy underneath his large bed. Isa then stuck his head out to say something, but the quilt was pulled over his head. Braig's head popped from around the door, his usual smirk on his face.

"School time!"

***T*H*E*F*R*O*L*I*C*F*L*A*M*E***

**A/N: Oh, how I **_**hate **_**this one... *Bangs head***

**Anyway, Isa snuck into the castle since he was missing little Lea! :)**

**Please review! ^_^**


	9. Losing It All

**A/N: Clearly either A) Nobody liked the last chapter, which is fine! Or B) All of my reviewers magically vanished. I'm hoping it's the first. ;)**

**Thanks to **_**MonMonCandie **_**and **_**Fille des Reves **_**for reviewing! :D**

**I haven't really got much to say for once, so... Enjoy! :)**

***T*H*E*F*R*O*L*I*C*F*L*A*M*E***

**IX. Losing It All**

Lea laid on his bed, deep in thought with hands behind his head. Glancing over, he saw a group of black creatures etch towards him, and he bolted up immediately.

Kairi's terrified scream confirmed that something was _dreadfully _wrong.

As he ran down the hall, desperately trying to find an exit, small arms wrapped around his legs. The boy glanced down to see Ienzo hugging his legs tightly, visually shaking in fear as a large group of shadows appeared. Lea picked up a nearby pole, and swung at them. But it had no effect. His breath hitched in his throat as his heart began to pound furiously.

They were going to die. All of them were going to die.

Ienzo suddenly ran out towards the crowd, tearing Lea's heart inside out.

"_No! Stop!"_ He froze in fear as he saw the _things _quickly give chase after the poor boy. Scrambling backwards, he almost fell over as he turned away and ran like he had never ran before.

Turning a corner, he was met with more monsters glaring at him. He looked around frantically for any means of escape as more came from behind. As they dawned ever closer, he readied the metal pole in his hands for attack.

That was when he realized something. Something that he held dear.

"_Isa!"_

***T*H*E*F*R*O*L*I*C*F*L*A*M*E***

**A/N: Please don't kill me over the extra 20 words!**

**Why did they all have to lose their hearts? Stupid Xehanort... ;_;**

**Please review! ^_^**


	10. Succeeding

**A/N: Alright! So we have finally hit the end of this! Time flies fast, doesn't it? ;)**

**So, thank you to **_**Fille des Reves, AkuEri, MonMonCandie, Quinhwyvar, prince of flames, Clockwork-Ceni, Starry Requiem, Jcthegirl, Xainagal, the light before the darkness, Kiryn **_**and **_**Whack Zack **_**for reviewing! It really means a lot!**

**And now, without any further delays, here's the final chapter! :D**

***T*H*E*F*R*O*L*I*C*F*L*A*M*E***

**X. Succeeding**

"Isa! There you are! You're _okay_!" Lea shouted, shouting the boy's name as he sprinted towards him. His best friend failed to turn around, busy staring at the ruins of Radiant Garden. Smoke rose from the burning buildings, as areas continued to collapse even after the assault. The silence of the World was haunting, Lea's footsteps and shouts the only sound.

Strangely enough, no corpses were abandoned on the ashy ground beneath them.

"Isa?" He asked, concern in his voice as he hesitantly moved towards him. Suddenly, a small group of black shadows rose from the ground, and circled the boy. He glanced at his friend in worry as the creatures twitched.

"Isa? _Isa? _Help me, _please! Isa!_" His voice was heavily covered in desperation. The black-covered man snorted.

"Take him. He could be useful," His voice was cold and emotionless. Lea's eyes widened in horror as the creatures began to claw at him.

"Isa please! Please help me! _Isa!"_ He screamed in pain as a bright orb suddenly came from his chest. It twirled in the air, before shadows enveloped it. Then, a creature the exact same as the others that had attacked him appeared. As Lea drifted out of conscious, there was an unusual empty feeling in his chest, where his heart should be.

"So, it seems that we are succeeding... Axel."

***T*H*E*F*R*O*L*I*C*F*L*A*M*E***

**A/N: Oh God, my stomach went loopy as I wrote that. And I'm the author of this! D:**

**I'm sorry about the fact that I broke the limit, but I really couldn't lessen this anymore! :O**

**Long story short. Lea survived the attack. He was looking for other survivors. Isa had lost his heart, and was ordered to find Lea by Xemnas as his first mission. That's my view on it, anyway.**

**I can't believe this is over! :( I really want to do another Challenge now... I have a new one called **_**The Hopeless Romantics of Destiny Islands,**_** if any one wishes to see that! Also, there's a poll on my profile about a whole load of story ideas that I have, but I'm not sure about which one to do. If you guys have the time, please do it! It's very important. To me, at least. ;D**

**Sorry about the Shameless Advertising! Please review! *Hands out Lea and Isa plushies* ^_^**


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